» Articles » PMID: 36043801

Clinical Electrodiagnostic Evaluation for Nerve Transfer Surgery in Spinal Cord Injury: a New Indication and Clinical Pearls

Overview
Journal J Neurophysiol
Specialties Neurology
Physiology
Date 2022 Aug 31
PMID 36043801
Authors
Affiliations
Soon will be listed here.
Abstract

In this review, we highlight the important role of the clinical electrodiagnostic (EDX) evaluation after cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). Our discussion focuses on the need for timely, frequent, and accurate EDX evaluations in the context of nerve transfer surgery to restore critical upper limb functions, including elbow extension, hand opening, and hand closing. The EDX evaluation is crucial to define the extent of lower motor neuron lesions and determine candidacy for surgery. We also discuss the important role of the postoperative EDX evaluation in determining prognosis and supporting rehabilitation. We propose a practical framework for EDX evaluation in this clinical setting.

Citing Articles

Ultrasound Evaluation of Upper Limb Sublesional Muscle Morphology in Cervical Spinal Cord Injury.

Ro H, Ogalo E, Debenham M, Wu H, Hanlan A, OConnor R Muscle Nerve. 2025; 71(4):564-573.

PMID: 39854114 PMC: 11887526. DOI: 10.1002/mus.28358.


Assessment, patient selection, and rehabilitation of nerve transfers.

Bateman E, Larocerie-Salgado J, Ross D, Miller T, Pripotnev S Front Rehabil Sci. 2023; 4:1267433.

PMID: 38058570 PMC: 10696649. DOI: 10.3389/fresc.2023.1267433.


[Surgical reconstruction of arm and hand functions in tetraplegia : Current concepts].

Schibli S, Friden J Unfallchirurgie (Heidelb). 2023; 126(10):774-777.

PMID: 37676291 DOI: 10.1007/s00113-023-01361-6.

References
1.
Bryden A, Hoyen H, Keith M, Mejia M, Kilgore K, Nemunaitis G . Upper Extremity Assessment in Tetraplegia: The Importance of Differentiating Between Upper and Lower Motor Neuron Paralysis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2016; 97(6 Suppl):S97-S104. DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2015.11.021. View

2.
Castanov V, Berger M, Ritsma B, Trier J, Hendry J . Optimizing the Timing of Peripheral Nerve Transfers for Functional Re-Animation in Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: A Conceptual Framework. J Neurotrauma. 2021; 38(24):3365-3375. DOI: 10.1089/neu.2021.0247. View

3.
Mackinnon S, Novak C . Nerve transfers. New options for reconstruction following nerve injury. Hand Clin. 1999; 15(4):643-66, ix. View

4.
van Zyl N, Hill B, Cooper C, Hahn J, Galea M . Expanding traditional tendon-based techniques with nerve transfers for the restoration of upper limb function in tetraplegia: a prospective case series. Lancet. 2019; 394(10198):565-575. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31143-2. View

5.
Dibble C, Javeed S, Khalifeh J, Midha R, Yang L, Juknis N . Optimizing nerve transfer surgery in tetraplegia: clinical decision making based on innervation patterns in spinal cord injury. J Neurosurg Spine. 2021; 36(3):498-508. DOI: 10.3171/2021.6.SPINE21586. View